RCMP charge four men with conspiring to murder officers at Coutts border

Four men have been charged with plotting to murder RCMP officers at the Coutts border blockade in Alberta.

This is among a combined 14 charges laid after an RCMP sweep of the protest on Monday, where they seized a large quantity of firearms and ammunition.

“We became aware of a serious threat to public and officer safety in the form of a heavily armed group among the protesters,” said RCMP Chief Superintendent Trevor Daroux in a press conference on Tuesday. “I can tell you that this threat was very serious.”

You might also like:
• RCMP make arrests, seize guns at Alberta border crossing blockade
• Police start making arrests at BC's border protest (VIDEOS)
• Ambassador Bridge border reopens after week of "Freedom Convoy" blockade

The first 11 protesters that were arrested made their first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.

The small organized group — which the RCMP said had a “willingness to use force against the police” in a news release on Monday — was in possession of 13 long guns, handguns, multiple sets of body armour, a machete, a large amount of ammunition, and high-capacity magazines.

Photo of items seized as a result of last night’s search warrants at the Coutts border blockade. https://t.co/Rve2jtvVX0 pic.twitter.com/3szbXlKrJl

— RCMP Alberta (@RCMPAlberta) February 15, 2022

The RCMP also reported that a large farm tractor and a semi-truck involved in the blockade attempted to ram a police vehicle.

The driver of the tractor was identified, and police are working to locate him so he can be taken into custody. The Alberta RCMP has seized the farm tractor and semi-truck involved in the incident.

Here are the names, ages and charges of the heavily armed group.

Chris Carbert (44), Chris Lysak (48), Anthony Olienick (39), and Jerry Morin (40):

• Conspiracy to Commit Murder
• Possession of a Weapon for Dangerous Purpose
• Mischief Over $5,000

Jaclyne Martin (39), Ursla Allred (22), Joanne Person (62), Luke Berk (62), Evan Colenutt (23), Johnson Law (39), Justin Martin (22), Eastin Oler (22), and Janx Zaremba (18):

• Possession of a Weapon for Dangerous Purpose
• Mischief Over $5,000

Chris Lysak has additionally been charged with uttering threats.

Anti-vaccine mandate protesters have been blockading the Coutts border crossing since the end of January.